Battle of Leipzig

The Battle of Leipzig (October 16 to 19, 1813), also called Battle of the Nations, was the largest armed confrontation of all the Napoleonic Wars. and the most important battle lost by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Background

French Emperor Napoleon I attempted to force Emperor Alexander I of Russia to rejoin his unpopular Continental System by invading Russia on June 24, 1812, with around 685,000 troops, eventually entering Moscow in late 1812., after the bloody, but indecisive battle of Borodino. However, Alexander refused to surrender even when the French occupied the city, which was burned at the time of its occupation. The campaign ended in complete disaster when Napoleon and his remaining forces retreated during the bitter Russian winter, with diseases, famine and constant harassment by Russian Cossacks and partisans, leaving the Grande Armée practically destroyed when it returned from Russia. To make matters even worse for Napoleon, by June 1813, the combined armies of Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom, under the command of the Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington), had decisively defeated the French in the battle of Vitoria in the Peninsular War, and now they were advancing towards the Pyrenees and towards France itself. With this series of defeats, the French armies retreated on all fronts in Europe.

The anti-French forces joined Russia as their troops pursued the remnants of the "Grande Armée" virtually destroyed throughout Central Europe. The allies regrouped as the Sixth Coalition, comprising Austria, Portugal, Prussia, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, as well as the smaller German states of the Rhine Confederation, whose citizens and leaders were no longer loyal to the emperor. French. Napoleon rushed back to France and managed to mobilize another large army, but severe economic difficulties and news of defeats had led to war fatigue and growing unrest among the population of France.

Despite opposition at home, Napoleon was able to rebuild his army, with the intention of inducing a temporary alliance or at least the cessation of hostilities, or removing at least one of the great powers (Austria, Prussia and Russia) out of the war. Napoleon attempted to regain the offensive through the German Campaign of 1813, reestablishing his control in Germany, winning two hard-fought tactical victories, at the Battle of Lützen on 2 May and the Battle of Bautzen on 20–21 May.

These victories led to a brief armistice. During the armistice, the monarchs of Russia and Prussia met with Crown Prince Charles John of Sweden at Trachenberg Castle in Silesia, where the former French marshal outlined a strategy to defeat Napoleon that, with additional details from the Austrians after joining the Coalition on August 12, 1813, it became known as the Trachenberg Plan. According to the Trachenberg Plan, three Coalition armies were formed, the 95,000-man Silesian Army under the command of Gebhard von Blücher, the North German Army of 120,000 (including Swedish garrisons in Stralsund) under Crown Prince Karl John, and the Bohemian Army, the main Allied army in the field with 225,000 men, under Karl von Schwarzenberg. A fourth army was formed as the Army of Poland, initially of 30,000 men, but expanded to 70,000 by the end of the year, under the command of Count Benningsen. As described in the Trachenberg Plan, the armies of the Coalition would avoid battle with Napoleon, retreat whenever Napoleon himself advanced, and instead target the forces under the command of his marshals. Despite the order to avoid battle with the emperor, the Bohemian Army faced Napoleon at the Battle of Dresden on August 27, where the French won a crushing victory.

However, close adherence to the Trachenberg Plan led to Coalition victories in the Großbeeren, the Kulm, the Katzbach and the Dennewitz. Meanwhile, Charles John had begun a concerted propaganda campaign in Germany, drawing on his experience as Minister of War during the French Revolution to whip up German nationalist sentiment, and calling on the kings of Bavaria and Saxony, whose armies he had commanded in 1805. and 1809, to repudiate his French alliances. The Westphalian armies had begun to show signs of mutiny in late August and September, with Saxon units defecting to the Coalition at Grossbeeran and Dennewitz and Westphalian troops deserting in increasing numbers. Furthermore, in early September, the Bavarians proclaimed neutrality following Charles John's victory over Ney at Dennewitz.After these defeats and desertions, the French emperor was unable to capitalize on his victory at Dresden. Thinly stretched supply lines stretching into now somewhat hostile territory, coupled with Bavaria's switching sides against the French just eight days before Leipzig, made it nearly impossible to replace the losses of its 150,000-man army, 300 weapons and 50,000 sick people.

Facing forces

The French had around 160,000 soldiers along with 700 cannons plus 15,000 Poles, 10,000 Italians and 40,000 Germans belonging to the Rhine Confederation, totaling 225,000 soldiers. The Coalition had around 380,000 soldiers along with 1,500 cannons, composed of 145,000 Russians, 115,000 Austrians, 90,000 Prussians and 30,000 Swedes. This made Leipzig the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, surpassing Borodino, Wagram, Jena, Auerstedt, Ulm, and Dresden.

The Grande Armée, under the command of Napoleon, was in a weakened state. The majority of his troops now consisted of teenagers and inexperienced men recruited shortly after the near destruction of the Grande Armée in Russia. Napoleon recruited these men to be prepared for an even larger campaign against the newly formed Sixth Coalition and its forces stationed in Germany. While he won several preliminary battles, his army was steadily depleted as the Allies, closely following the Trachenberg Plan, systematically defeated his marshals. The French Imperial cavalry was equally insufficient, making it difficult for Napoleon to keep sight of his lines of communication or even scout enemy positions, a fact that influenced the outcome of the Battle of Großbeeren and others during the German campaign.

The Coalition army was organized into four army-level commands: the Bohemian Army under Karl von Schwarzenberg, the Silesian Army under Blücher, the Polish Army under Levin August von Bennigsen, and the combined Prussian, Russian, and Swedish. Northern Army under the command of Bernadotte. The Swedes also had under their command a British Rocket Brigade company armed with Congreve rockets, led by Captain Richard Bogue. Bernadotte had called for a British garrison for Stralsund to free up more Swedish troops for service in Germany. He was posted to six battalions under Major General Gibbs, in addition to the Rocket Brigade. Only the 2/73rd took the field under the command of General Wallmoden and was present at the Battle of Gohrde

French plans

Despite being outnumbered, Napoleon planned to take the offensive between the Pleiße and Parthe rivers. The position at Leipzig had several advantages for his army and his battle strategy. The rivers that converged there divided the surrounding terrain into four separate sectors. By holding Leipzig and its bridges, Napoleon could move troops from one sector to another much faster than the Allies, who had difficulty moving large numbers of troops to a single sector. sector.

The northern front was defended by Marshals Michel Ney and Auguste Marmont, and the eastern front by Marshal Jacques MacDonald. The artillery reserve and parks, ambulances and baggage were near Leipzig, which Napoleon made his supply base for the battle. The bridges over the Pleiße and Elster Blanco rivers were defended by infantry and some cannons. The main battery was in reserve and during the battle would be deployed to Gallows Height. This battery was to be commanded by the artillery expert Antoine Drouot. The western flank of the French positions at Wachau and Liebertwolkwitz was defended by Prince Józef Poniatowski and Marshal Pierre Augereau and his young French recruits.

The Battle of Leipzig

Marshal Nicholas Oudinot failed in his attempt to conquer Berlin with his army of 60,000 men, and Napoleon was forced to retreat westwards due to the danger to the north, crossing the Elbe at the end of September and concentrating his forces around Leipzig to protect his supply lines and confront the Allies there. Napoleon organized his army at Leipzig, although his troops stretched from Taucha to Stötteritz (where Napoleon set up his command post), then curving the line southwest towards Lindenau. The Prussians were advancing from Wartenburg, while the Austrians and Russians were advancing from Dresden and the Swedish forces were approaching from the north. In total, the French had 190,000 soldiers, while the Allies had almost 330,000, with large quantities of artillery on both sides (making a total of approximately 2,500 guns on the battlefield).

October 16

The French had won slight victories at Lindenau and Wachau, and suffered a setback at Möckern. The Allies had lost approximately 30,000 men, including 2,000 prisoners, the French about 25,000 in total. Despite the French advantage in casualties, the first day ended in a draw. Furthermore, the odds seemed to be shifting in the Allies' favor, for while Napoleon could only anticipate the arrival of Jean Reynier's 14,000 men to increase his force to a mere 200,000 soldiers and 900 cannons, the Allies were waiting. the appearance of Bernadotte's 70,000 men and a similar number under Bennigsen, and these reinforcements would bring his total strength to over 300,000 and 1,500 guns.

Looking back on the first day's fighting, both sides made mistakes. Napoleon had underestimated Allied aggressiveness and miscalculated the position of Blucher and the Silesian army, and his men suffered a strong rebuff at Möckern as a consequence. As for the Allies, the chaotic nature of their initial attack on Wachau, coupled with the flanking of the waiting French forces, almost caused a catastrophe.

Action in Dölitz

The Austrian II Corps, commanded by Merveldt, advanced towards Connewitz via Gautzsch and attempted to attack the position. When Napoleon arrived at the battlefield along with the Young Guard and some Chasseurs, Merveldt discovered that the route of advance was well covered by the French battery and some skirmishers who had occupied the houses there and did not allow entry. Austrians to deploy their artillery in support of the attack. Merveldt himself in an unfortunate turn was wounded and captured by the French after he headed straight for the Saxon-Polish lines at the Pleiße River. Repulsed, the Austrians moved to attack nearby Dölitz, along a road crossed by two bridges and leading to a manor house and a mill. Two companies of the 24th Regiment drove out the small Polish garrison and took the position. A quick counterattack by the Saxons and Poles drove out the Austrian troops and the battle swung until the Austrians brought in a strong artillery battery and drove the Poles out of the position. The Poles suffered heavy casualties during their furious defense and set fire to both the mansion and the mill during their retreat.

Action in Markkleeberg

General Kleist, advancing along the Pleiße, attacked Poniatowski and Marshal Augereau at the village of Markkleeberg. The Austrians repaired a bridge and took a school building and a mansion. The French counterattacked, driving the Austrians out of the school and back to the river. The French attacks on the manor only resulted in increasing casualties for the French and Poles. The Russian 14th Division began a series of flanking attacks that forced the Poles to abandon Markkleeberg. Poniatowski stopped the retreat and advance of the Russians. Trapping four battalions of the Prussian 12th Brigade in the open, Poniatowski led artillery and cavalry attacks until they were relieved by Russian hussars. Poniatowski retook Markkleeberg, but was driven out by two Prussian battalions. Austrian grenadiers then formed up in front of Markkleeberg and drove the Poles and French out of the area with a flank attack.

Action in Wachau

The Russian II Corps attacked Wachau near Leipzig with the support of the Prussian 9th Brigade. The Russians advanced, unaware that French forces were waiting. The French took them by surprise on the flank, maiming them. The Prussians entered Wachau and fought street by street. French artillery drove the Prussians out of Wachau and the French recaptured the town.

Action in Liebertwolkwitz

Liebertwolkwitz was a large town in a commanding position, defended by Marshal MacDonald and General Lauriston with about 18,000 men. General von Klenau's Austrian IV Corps attacked with 24,500 men supported by Pirth's 10th Brigade (4,550) and Ziethen's 11th Brigade (5,365). The Austrians attacked first, driving the French out of Liebertwolkwitz after hard fighting, only to be driven back in turn by a French counterattack. Russian general Württemberg was noted for his extreme bravery in leading his troops under fire. At this point, Napoleon ordered General Drouot to form a large battery of 150 guns on Gallows Hill. This was done and the guns were flown against the exposed Russians. II Corps, forcing the supporting Prussian battalions to take cover.

The hole had now opened as Napoleon desired and at this point, Marshal Murat unleashed 10,000 French, Italian and Saxon cavalry. However, Murat's choice of massive columns for the attack formation was unfortunate for the French force, as smaller mobile formations of Russian, Prussian and Austrian cavalry were able to successfully harass Murat's division, forcing them to return to their own artillery, where they were saved by the Dragoons of the French Guard. The Young Guard was sent to expel the allies and give Napoleon the breakthrough. They recaptured both Liebertwolkwitz and Wachau, but the Allies responded with the Russian Guard and Austrian grenadiers backed by Russian cuirassiers. The units lived up to their elite reputation, forming squares that knocked French cavalrymen from their horses and overran French artillery batteries. On the southern front, although Napoleon gained ground, he was unable to break the Allied lines.

Northern Attack

The northern front opened with the attack of General Langeron's Russian corps against the villages of Groß-Wiederitzsch and Klein-Wiederitzsch in the center of the northern French lines. This position was defended by General Dąbrowski's Polish division of four infantry battalions and two cavalry battalions. At the first sign of attack, the Polish division attacked. The battle wavered back and forth with attacks and counterattacks, General Langeron rallied his forces and eventually took both villages with heavy casualties.

Action in Möckern

The northern front was dominated by the Battle of Möckern. This was a four-phase battle and saw tough fighting from both sides. A mansion, a palace, walled gardens and low walls dominated the town. Each position was converted into a fortress with walls open to covered fire by the French. The terrain west of the position was too wooded and swampy for artillery emplacement. A dyke ran eastwards along the River Elster four meters high. Marshal Marmont brought infantry columns behind the positions in reserve and for a quick counterattack against any fallen positions. Blücher commanded Langeron's Russian corps and Yorck's Prussian corps against Marmont's VI Corps. With the battle hanging in the balance, Marmont ordered a cavalry charge, but his commander refused to attack. Later, an attack by Prussian hussars caused heavy losses to the French defenders. The battle lasted well into the night. The artillery caused the majority of the 9,000 Allied and 7,000 French casualties, and the French lost another 2,000 prisoners.

Action in Lindenau

On the Western Front, the Austrian III Corps under General Giulay attacked the suburb of Lindenau and was initially successful, forcing Marshal Ney to divert General Bertrand's IV Corps to hold the position. But soon The French held, the fighting then stalled and the Austrians were forced to retreat not far from the town. However, for the French, there was also a negative strategic consequence of this small success. Napoleon needed the IV Corps for his attacks on the main Austro-Russian armies positioned in the south, and since they did not take part in the attack as they were currently facing the Austrians at Lindenau, his attack failed.

October 17

There were only two actions on October 17, one an attack by Russian General Sacken against General Dąbrowski's Polish division in the village of Gohlis. In the end, Russian numbers and determination prevailed and the Poles retreated to Pfaffendorf. Blücher, who was appointed field marshal the previous day, ordered General Lanskoi's Russian 2nd Hussar Division to attack General Arrighi's III Cavalry Corps. As on the previous day, the Allied cavalry proved superior and drove off the French with heavy losses.

Arrival of reinforcements

The French received only 14,000 soldiers as reinforcements. On the other hand, the Allies were strengthened with the arrival of 145,000 troops divided into two armies, one commanded by Bennigsen from the first line of the Bohemian Army and the other, the Northern Army, which was formed mainly by Swedish troops, commanded by Bernadotte...

October 18

Napoleon's attempt to sue for an armistice

It soon became apparent that the Allies would surround Napoleon and his army, and he knew that not withdrawing from the battle would mean the capitulation of his entire army, which by this time was beginning to run out of supplies and ammunition. So, Napoleon He began to examine whether Lindenau's roads and bridges could be used to withdraw his troops, or at least to secure a bridgehead crossing on the Pleiße River. However, he was not yet in the mood to withdraw as he planned to achieve a large further victory for France. He also thought that a formidable fort rearguard in Leipzig itself could repel any Allied assault, which could give him and his forces more time to withdraw from the battle.

During this time, Napoleon sent Merveldt, who had been captured two days earlier, back to the Allies on parole. Merveldt received a letter to Alexander I, Francis I, and Frederick William III in which Napoleon offered to hand over to the Allies the fortresses he held along the Oder and the Vistula, on condition that the Allies allow him to withdraw to a position behind of the Saale. He added that, if approved, they must sign an armistice and undertake peace negotiations. However, the three monarchs rejected the offer.

Coalition armies surround Napoleon

The Allies launched a major assault from all sides, this time completely surrounding Napoleon's army. In more than nine hours of fighting, in which both sides suffered heavy casualties, French troops were forced to slowly retreat towards Leipzig. The allies had Blücher and Bernadotte to the north, Barclay de Tolly and Bennigsen, and Prince von Hesse-Homburg to the south, as well as Ignác Gyulay to the west.

Actions in Wachau, Lößnig and Dölitz

The Prussian 9th Brigade occupied the abandoned town of Wachau while the Austrians, with General Bianchi's Hungarians, expelled the French from Lößnig. The Austrians proceeded to put on a display of combined arms cooperation as the Austrian cavalry attacked the French infantry to give the Austrian infantry time to arrive and deploy in the attack on Dölitz, but the Young Guard drove them off. At this point, three battalions of Austrian grenadiers began to dispute the town with artillery support.

Action in Probstheida

The bloodiest fighting of the battle occurred in Probstheida, a town southeast of Leipzig. Here, some 60,000 soldiers under Barclay marched and advanced towards the town in two columns, one under von Kleist advancing through Wachau and another under General Wittgenstein advancing through Liebertwolkwitz. Barclay was pressured by the monarchs, especially Alexander I, to take the town as it was the key to Napoleon's troop positions, and although von Kleist opposed this, the monarchs' orders were paramount, so Barclay he had to follow his orders anyway.

However, the French dispositions in the town were heavily fortified, thanks to the high, thick garden walls that provided excellent protection to the French infantry. The defense was also reinforced with artillery and strong infantry reserves behind the town. A day earlier, the Russians had taken most of the losses suffered during the battle, so it was the Prussians who took the initiative.

The Prussian jägers attempted to enter the town by assault, but were quickly repulsed. Then the artillery of both sides opened fire on the town; Despite the enormous amount of artillery the Allies had brought with them, the more powerful French Imperial Guard artillery gradually gained the upper hand. The Prussians carried out a series of attacks against the French positions in the town, but because the French artillery repulsed each attack, their efforts were in vain. The French cuirassiers, under Murat, charged the weakened Prussian lines and drove them back. Countercharges by the numerous Russian cavalry saved the infantry by repeatedly driving back the French cavalry, although with heavy losses. The Prussians again carried out a charge on the French lines, but this charge was less successful than the first. The third assault was now carried out, this time, by the Russians, commanded by General Raevsky, the hero of the Borodino. which had arrived a few days earlier from Russia after a delay due to illness. The assault on the village was somewhat more successful than the first two, taking the gardens and destroying several French infantry units, but was finally repulsed by the French Imperial Guard, who had just arrived on the scene. Despite Schwarzenberg's request that Alexander send the Russian Guard, the Russian emperor ordered further attacks on the village. However, despite their successful and stubborn defense, the French were now in a desperate situation as they had a dangerous shortage of manpower and therefore the fighting became a hollow tactical victory for them.

Actions in Paunsdorf and Schönefeld

During that morning, Bernadotte and Blücher held a conference in Breitenfeld. It was agreed that Bernadotte's Northern Army would pass the Parthe River at Taucha with a reinforcement of 30,000 men drawn from Blücher's Silesian Army. Blücher agreed to dispatch Langeron's army corps, and renounce his rank and rights as army commander, placing himself at the head of his Prussians. The Northern Army's advance towards Leipzig had been slow, supposedly because Bernadotte had received news that Napoleon was planning a new attack on Berlin after his marshals failed to take the city in the battles of Großbeeren and Dennewitz.

General Platov's Russian heavy artillery began firing on the Saxons around Paunsdorf. Langeron laid pontoon bridges over the River Parthe and a flying bridge across Mockau. Large masses of troops had now moved to the east bank of the river. Meanwhile, Russian and Austrian forces began attacking the French and Saxon positions at Paunsdorf, but after counterattacks by French infantry and deadly fire from Franco-Saxon batteries, they were repulsed. After their retreat, the Allied troops were pursued by French infantry before being counterattacked by Austrian hussar and grenzer cavalry, which in turn drove the French back. The city itself was still held by five Franco-Saxon battalions. Captain Bogue of the British Rocket Brigade advanced with his unit and began firing Congreve rockets into the town, causing the defenders to retreat in disarray. Bogue, seizing the moment, charged at the head of his squadron of escort cavalry. This small force, in turn, was being driven out of Paunsdorf, but a barrage of rockets fired in close support again caused the French troops to break ranks. The French retreated to Sellerhausen pursued by two Prussian battalions, while the Rocket Brigade formed to the left of a Russian battery and began firing on the retreating columns, causing near panic. At this point, Captain Bogue was shot in the head and killed by a skirmisher. Shortly afterwards, the French Reserve Imperial Guard drove the allies out of Paunsdorf again, but Ney eventually deemed the position untenable and ordered a retreat..

Heavier fighting took place in Schönefeld. Allied troops repeatedly assaulted the French positions there, but were forced to retreat. French infantry attacks on Allied positions produced similar results. Repeated assaults by Russian musketeers and grenadiers under Langeron finally drove the French out of Schönefeld. Intense fighting in Paunsdorf and Schönefeld burned both towns.

Sweden participates fully

Meanwhile, at the urging of his officers, who were embarrassed at not having participated in the battle, Bernadotte gave the order for his light infantry to participate in the final assault on Leipzig itself. The Swedish jägers performed very well, losing only 35 men killed and 173 wounded while capturing 647 French prisoners.

Action in Lindenau

On the Western Front, the French IV Corps under Bertrand finally drove the Austrian III Corps under Gyulay away from Lindenau. This broke the encirclement that the Allied forces had previously made against the Grande Armée, clearing the way for their retreat that would take place later the next day.

Pro-Napoleonic Germans defect to the Coalition

During the fighting, 5,400 Saxons from General Reynier's VII Corps defected to the Coalition, specifically Bernadotte's Army of the North due to the esteem the Saxons had for the former French Marshal. Four years earlier, Bernadotte, while still Marshal of the Empire, had commanded the all-Saxon IX Corps during the Battle of Wagram, where his courteous behavior towards them in the preceding weeks, along with a controversial Order of the Day praising their courage after the battle, endeared Bernadotte to them. At first, the French officers saw the Saxons' rush toward the advancing Prussians as a charge, but the betrayal became evident when they saw the Saxons asking the Prussians to join them for the imminent assault. Reynier himself witnessed this and rallied the remaining Saxons to his disposal, but to no avail, for the Württemberg cavalry also deserted the French, forcing the French line at Paunsdorf to retreat.

The Grande Armée begins to withdraw

The battle during the day of October 18 was one of attrition. The French troops held their respective positions, but were constantly worn down and depleted by fierce and intensified Allied attacks throughout the day. The French artillery had only 20,000 shells left. Later that night, Napoleon considered the battle a lost cause. This time, he promoted Poniatowski to the rank of Marshal of France, the only foreigner of all his marshals to receive This title, and the latter swore that he would fight for the last resistance, which he did. After this, the emperor began to organize the retreat of the Grande Armée to the west across the Elster River.

During the night, the French army was ordered to quietly withdraw from Connewitz, Probstheida, Stötteritz, Volkmansdorf and Reudnitz, all to cross the river via Leipzig and the only bridge on the river. Those from Lindenau were to move to Weißenfels. Weak rearguards occupied the villages to conceal the retreat, and supporting troops were stationed in the outer suburbs by the windmills and near the city walls. The walls of the garden and cemetery next to the Grimma Gate were pockmarked with gaps, as were the gates themselves. The skirmishers were stationed in country houses, in the bushes, in parks and in all possible places. Leipzig was to be occupied by Reynier's VII Corps, Poniatowski's VIII Corps and MacDonald's XI Corps. They were ordered to hold for a day or a little longer, to allow the rest of the army, its artillery and its equipment They had enough time to evacuate. Allied cavalry outposts were ordered to attack the French outposts without relief during the night to determine whether the French intended to retreat or not. However, they did not realize that the French were, in fact, retreating from the battle area. Therefore, the evacuation continued throughout the night.

October 19

The Allies only learned of the French evacuation at 7:00 a.m. m. on October 19. Shortly after, between 8:00 and 9:00 a. scale assault from the north, south and east against the retreating French. But they were held back in Leipzig by a fierce street-to-street rearguard action by Marshal Oudinot's 30,000 soldiers. As the Russians and Prussians entered the city through Halle and Grimma, the gates fell on barricades and houses full of French soldiers. Civilians were forced to hide as bloody urban combat spread throughout the city.

Napoleon's retreat continued uneventfully until the afternoon when General Dulauloy, charged with destroying the only bridge over the Elster, delegated the task to Colonel Montfort. The colonel passed this responsibility to a corporal who was carefully unaware of the schedule. planned. The corporal lit the fuses at 1:00 in the afternoon while the bridge was still filled with retreating French troops and Oudinot's rearguard was still in Leipzig. The explosion and subsequent panic caused a defeat that resulted in the death of thousands of French soldiers and the capture of another 30,000. Both Oudinot and MacDonald managed to swim across, but Poniatowski, hampered by his injuries, was one of many who drowned while attempting to cross the river.

Conclusion

At the end of the battle on the afternoon of October 19, the remnants of the Grande Armée crossed the Elster River and began a well-ordered retreat. The battle had ended conclusively and decisively with the Coalition nations the victors, and the German campaign was a complete failure for the French, although they did achieve a minor victory when the Bavarian army attempted to block the retreat of theGrande Armée in the battle of Hanau. The heavy casualties the Coalition armies had suffered and their exhaustion from the bloody four-day battle they fought made it impossible for them to quickly pursue the retreating Grande Armée. The French were also exhausted after the battle and were retreating at a rapid pace towards the Rhine.

The total number of casualties is uncertain, although it is estimated between 80,000 and 100,000 dead or wounded between both contenders. Taking a rough estimate of 95,000, the Coalition could have lost about 55,000 and the French 40,000, with around 30,000 French prisoners. Among the casualties was French Marshal Józef Antoni Poniatowski, who had received the marshal's baton the previous day. The battle ended the presence of the First French Empire east of the Rhine, and added some German states to the Coalition. The isolated French garrisons of Dresden and Pirna had no choice but to surrender on November 11.

The battle is remembered in the city of Leipzig with numerous monuments (Völkerschlachtdenkmal) and by the 45 stacked stones that mark the most important lines of the French and Allied troops.

Sources and bibliography

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